A ceremony by the flagpole in front of White Rock City Hall this Friday (April 27) will honour those, nationally and internationally, who have lost their lives, or been injured, at work.

But it’s also a commitment to improving health and safety in the workplace, according to the event organizers, the City of White Rock and CUPE Local 402-01. The 8 a.m. ceremony is an advance marking of the international Worker’s Day of Mourning (also known as Worker’s Memorial Day) which is observed every April 28.

Started in Canada – where April 28 is the anniversary of the milestone passage of the nation’s first Workers Compensation Act in 1914 – the tradition has now spread to more than 100 countries around the world.

Mayor Wayne Baldwin, who will speak at Friday’s ceremony, said the Worker’s Day of Mourning is an important way to reaffirm the city’s commitment to safety.

“More than 1,000 workers are killed on the job each year, many of which are young or new workers,” he said in a news release Tuesday.

“I hope the community will join us...as we reflect on the past and focus our attention on what we can do to increase health and safety in the workplace.”

CUPE Local chair Mike Guraliuk echoed the call for renewed attention to safety while remembering past injuries and fatalities.

“The number of people killed on the job is troubling,” Guraliuk said.

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